Troopers win district awards

December 8, 2012

STEUBENVILLE -Two members of the Ohio State Highway Patrol Steubenville Post have received district awards, and another trooper has been nominated for a state patrol award.

Trooper Mason Boyce has been selected as the 2012 Trooper of the Year at the Steubenville Post, and then was selected as the 2012 trooper of the year for District 7. He is now in contention for the state trooper of the year award to be selected later this year.

Boyce joined the patrol in 2007 and served at the Mount Gilead Post before being assigned to the Steubenville Post. This is the second time he has been selected as post trooper of the year, with his first award being at the Mount Gilead Post in 2010.

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Boyce

Lt. Chirstopher Johnson, Steubenville Post commander, said Boyce was nominated for his everyday work ethic.

"He comes to work extremely positive and has a great work attitude. What is required of a trooper to do he does very well and does it with enthusiasm," Johnson said.

Secretary Shirley Fithen of the Steubenville Patrol Post has been selected for the 2012 District 7 Employee Recognition Award and is also in contention for the state employee recognition award to be selected later this year. Fithen has been with the patrol for 10 years, and this is the second time that she has been selected for the state employee recognition award, with her first being at the Steubenville Post in 2004.

"Shirley goes above and beyond what is required. She goes out of her way to be a sounding board for everyone at the post. She is not just a co-worker, she is a friend," Johnson said.

Trooper Edwin A. Weigand of the Steubenville Post has been nominated for the Robert M. Chiramonte Humanitarian Award, which is presented to one sworn officer annually for outstanding public service. The award, in honor of former public safety director and Patrol Superintendent Robert M. Chiramonte, is for division-related public service or volunteer work on and off duty.

For the past eight years Weigand has been collecting Christmas toys for the children at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Many of the children are terminally ill or are being treated for an array of medical conditions, Johnson said.

"With this kind gesture, these children can experience a gift on Christmas Day. He certainly has earned this recognition," Johnson said.